PSC Skiers concluded reular season with high rankings

Feb 21, 2000

PLYMOUTH, N.H. - In the final regular season
races of the season, the Plymouth State College skiing teams turned
in solid efforts over the weekend at the Smith College Winter
Carnival at Berkshire East Mountain in Western Massachusetts.

The PSC men, who have been dominant all season, finished up with
a first place in Saturday's slalom and a runner-up in Sunday's
giant slalom. The Panthers captured eight of 10 races during the
regular season to earn the No. 1 team ranking, and are prepared to
bring home a fourth straight Eastern Regional title at next
weekend's championships.

On the other side, the PSC women also captured Saturday's slalom
race, and came back Sunday with a third place finish in the GS. The
Panthers won four of the 10 regular season races and placed in the
top five every time to earn the No. 2 team ranking, and will be
competing for their first regional title since 1996.

Both PSC squads, led by veteran coach Kim
Bownes, will compete in the Eastern Collegiate Ski
Conference Eastern Regionals next Sunday and Monday (Feb. 27-28) at
Waterville Valley. The top teams advance to the US Collegiate
Skiing Championships at Loon Mountain on Mar. 8-11.

Plymouth State finished the regular season with the top ranked
individuals for both men and women -- juniors Fred
DeBaets (St. Sauveur, QUE) and Anda
Curuta (Sibiu, Romania). DeBaets swept both the slalom and
GS last weekend, giving him six individual victories this season
and nine top three finishes in 10 races. Curuta won Saturday's
slalom for her remarkable ninth straight individual triumph this
winter before slipping to 15th in Sunday's GS. She is not only
ranked No. 1, but she has recorded an unbelievable 21 first place
finishes in 28 regular season races in her collegiate career.

DeBaets is just one of several Panther men who are having strong
seasons, as four PSC men finished the regular season ranked in the
top 10. Sophomore Tim Mitchell (Ashland, Mass.),
who was ninth in last weekend's slalom and third in the GS, is
ranked fifth overall. He also placed first in two races this
season, once in the slalom and once in the GS. Classmate EJ
Cheney (Bethel, Maine), who placed 10th in the slalom
Saturday and fourth in the GS Sunday, is seventh in the season
rankings, and freshman Justin Parent
(Sanbornville, NH), who was eighth Saturday's slalom, finished his
first collegiate regular season ranked ninth.

The only women's race this season not won by Curuta was Sunday's
GS, which was captured by PSC freshman Cherylanne
Murphy (East Northport, NY). She had five top three
finishes in 10 races this winter, and finishes fourth in the
women's rankings for the season. Freshman Heidi
Mann (Merrimack, NH) was the next highest ranked PSC
woman, finishing 22nd.